Before there was a United States, there was a Black man, Crispus Attucks, who gave his life on Boston soil so that a nation could be born. His blood baptized the American Revolution. This city has always held a contradiction in tension: a cradle of liberty, and yet a place where liberty often felt elusive for people who looked like me. And still, we showed up. We fought. We built. And we endured.
It was here that the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment marched proud, Black, and ready to give their lives not just for the Union, but for the soul of a country that had not yet recognized their full humanity. During the Civil War, their charge at Fort Wagner wasn’t just military. It was moral. And it started here.
Just off the coast of Boston, in Martha’s Vineyard, Black families found refuge — one of the first places in early America where we could own land, build homes, and create legacy. We raised generations under salt air and equity. We carved space — not just to survive, but to thrive.
And in 1971, long before social media, hashtags, or even the phrase “HBCU Classic,” Howard University took the field at Harvard Stadium in a matchup promoted by the Urban League, where they faced the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. They were the victor. It was a statement: that Black excellence belonged — not just in Atlanta or D.C. or Baton Rouge — but in Boston, too.
This year, that moment is reborn. On Saturday, August 30th, Morehouse College — my alma mater — will face Johnson C. Smith University in the first-ever Essence HBCU Kickoff Classic at Harvard Stadium. It’s the first Classic of its kind in Boston and the first time in almost 55 years that two HBCUs will play at Harvard Stadium—the first matchup north of New York City.
And for me, it’s personal. As a Morehouse man, I’ve sat in the same seats and walked across the same Atlanta red clay as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maynard Jackson, Spike Lee, and so many others who changed culture, policy, and perception. Morehouse taught me not just how to think, but how to move in the world with purpose. With pride. With poise. To see Morehouse take the field on this stage — in this city, my city — is more than a football game. It’s a full-circle moment. A revival of pride. A celebration of legacy. A declaration that our stories belong everywhere — even, and especially, in Ivy League spaces that were never built with us in mind.
But make no mistake: this Classic isn’t just about one school. It’s about all of us. It’s about Johnson C. Smith, a storied HBCU in the heart of Charlotte with a rich history of its own — full of leaders, educators, athletes, and activists who have shaped their communities and our country as well. It’s about the students and alumni who will flood Boston during the weekend, bringing with them music, fashion, tradition, and culture that can’t be duplicated. It’s about the community activations, the bands battling, the fraternities and sororities’ stepping, strolling, hopping, and shimmying too. It’s about the tailgates — the moments that make HBCU life magnetic. It’s about the young kid in Mattapan, Roxbury, or Dorchester who’s never seen an HBCU game in person — but who might leave that weekend with a dream and a direction they didn’t have before. And it’s about the city of Boston — a place that is redefining itself in real time. A majority-minority city. A cultural hub. A city that’s learning to celebrate all of its history — not just the polished parts.
The Essence HBCU Kickoff Classic is more than a weekend. It’s a moment. A movement. A mirror held up to who we were, who we are and where we’re going. In a time when Black stories are being silenced or sanitized, this event speaks loud and clear: We belong and we always have belonged. And now, in this moment, in this climate, we’re being seen.
So when you ask me why this Classic matters — why Boston matters — I’ll say this: Because there is no better place to honor Black excellence, Black culture, and the power of community than the soil where it first cried out for freedom. We’re not just playing a game, we’re reclaiming space and we’re doing it with style, with soul, and with purpose. See y’all soon!
This article is presented by Coca-Cola®, proud to celebrate the legacy and impact of HBCUs.